The Wellington Shire is subdivided into three wards – Northern, Central and Coastal – each with three Councillors.
Council general elections are held every four years with the next general election scheduled for Saturday 26 October 2024.
The election process is coordinated by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), with additional information relating to boundaries, enrolment, election results and more available directly from the VEC website.
To nominate as a candidate for election as a Wellington Shire Councillor you must be:
You must ensure the disqualifications under s 34(2) of the Local Government Act 2020 do not apply to you.
Additionally, the Local Government Act 2020 requires candidates to complete prescribed training to nominate for election. Further details are available at Local Government Victoria.
Useful resources for potential candidates are included below:
Women currently comprise 44% of Wellington Shire’s councillors. Council continues to encourage greater participation of women in local government.
Council supports a 50/50 gender representation in our governing body for our Council by 2025 in line with the targets set by the Minister for Local Government, which is a key action in our Gender Equality Action Plan 2021-25.
Wellington Shire Council was pleased to be identified as one of the 31 target municipalities where the State Government offered a funded Women Leading Locally Fellowship Program.
Useful resources for potential candidates are included below:
The purpose of the Election Period Policy is to outline the continuation of the ordinary business of Council throughout the election period in a responsible and transparent manner, in accordance with statutory requirements and best practice. The policy aims to ensure that elections are conducted in an ethical, fair and equitable manner and are publicly perceived as such.
During the 2024 Council general elections, the election period will start on Tuesday 24 September 2024 and finish at 6:00pm on election day, Saturday 26 October 2024.
The Election Campaign Donation Returns document from the 2020 general election is available for download on the link below and provides details of any gifts received by the candidate, or on behalf of the candidate.
This is during the election period, used for or in connection with the election campaign and includes goods or services.